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Students head to rally in Queen’s Park, continue to call for government intervention to end strike

Faculty at Fanshawe College walk the picket line at the entrance in front of T building on Oxford St. E. Jaclyn Carbone / AM980

Fanshawe College students won’t be in class on Wednesday, they’ll be at a rally at Queen’s Park as the strike by faculty at Ontario’s 24 colleges enters day 17.

Patience is starting to wear thin by thousands of students in London and across the province.

After an open letter signed by student organizations from eight of the shuttered colleges and a meeting with Advanced Education Minister Deb Matthews didn’t move the College Employer Council (CEC) and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) to return to negotiations, the College Student Alliance vowed to rally.

The non-profit student advocacy group has organized a rally at Queen’s Park Wednesday, where 40 Fanshawe College students, as well as their counterparts from colleges across the province, will air their grievances and continue to call for government intervention to help resolve the labour dispute.

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The rally is set to run from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday.

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Past strikes, in 1984, 1989 and 2006, lasted about three weeks. With no talks scheduled, the possibility of heavily impacting the school year continues to edge closer, prompting students to act.

Meanwhile, Matthews has urged OPSEU and CEC to return to talks, but wouldn’t comment on possible government intervention to resolve the strike.

Rallying across the province last week, the union representing the striking faculty spread the message that they want to get back to negotiations, they’re just waiting for the call.

OPSEU Local 110 held two rallies in London last week.

The union has asked the number of full-time faculty match the number of faculty members on contract.

It also called for improvements in job security and for faculty to have a stronger voice in academic decision-making.

Rallies were held in Toronto, Windsor, Sarnia, and London.

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Last Thursday, OPSEU local 110, the chapter representing the 800 striking faculty at Fanshawe College rallied in Victoria Park before marching to Matthew’s constituency office. Although Matthews wasn’t there, they delivered their letter, which stated Matthews was not an innocent leader in this dispute.

More than half a million students are affected by the strike. Talks between CEC and OPSEU have been non-existent since 12,000 college instructors, counsellors, and librarians walked off the job October 16.

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